A disturbing new trend has emerged in Australia, where a modern form of “grave robbery” is taking root online.
Experts warn that bone collectors are exploiting legal loopholes to buy and sell human remains, often using emojis and codewords to avoid detection.
In Australia, it is illegal to buy or sell human remains, but individuals are circumventing these laws by selling photographs of the remains and including the bones as a “gift.”
Dr. Damien Huffer, an expert on this dark trade and author of These Were People Once: The Online Trade in Human Remains and Why It Matters, notes that some collectors have amassed collections rivaling those of museums.
“The laws are inconsistent at both state and territory levels,” Huffer explains. “What was once a niche subculture has exploded online.”
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Collectors utilize euphemisms, referring to bones as “oddities” or discussing “hooman” femurs to communicate without arousing suspicion.
This trade isn’t limited to skeletal remains; cremains (bone fragments from cremation) and wet specimens are also exchanged.
Many human bones in Australia were imported before laws changed in 1982, leaving a gray area that collectors exploit.
Some auction houses are reportedly selling items that raise ethical concerns, with prices for human skulls reaching up to $1,500.
The South Australia police are investigating one auction house for allegedly selling human skulls, although they report no offenses have yet been identified.
David Kabbani, managing director of the auction house, claims they distinguish between genuine medical specimens and illicit items, but the murky legal landscape leaves much open to interpretation.
Dr. Maeghan Toews, a law lecturer, points out that while legislation prohibits the buying and selling of human tissue, exceptions exist for medical purposes.
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This vagueness contributes to the ongoing debate about the ethics of trading human remains, especially regarding consent from the deceased.
The Australian Law Reform Commission has initiated an inquiry into these laws, aiming to clarify the complexities surrounding the trade of human remains.
Experts warn that this practice not only dehumanizes individuals but also perpetuates historical injustices.
“No one who entered the medical bone trade consented to be used in this way,” Huffer stresses.
“It’s a modern form of grave robbery.”